Fire escape life reel



A. F. GASKINS ET AL Nov. 27, 1951 FIRE ESCAPE LIFE REEL 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 3, 1947 6 m @mi m Sb/MMX M www5 m WSAMM/ 7 SA@ A @6.0. AA; Aww W 2R 07 AWM a N0v- 27, ,1951 A. F. G-AsKlNs E-rAL FIRE ESCAPE LIFE REEL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 3; 1947 afin/frigid??? S. R 0 ou, W w 6 ff. n A

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FIRE ESCAPE LIFE REEL Filed March 5, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l J J l y 60 e l: i Ira- E e 'g4 Lull- 5 5/ /7 /5 /i o r 2 v 6 l J U /N o I g l/V I/'lVfORS Patented Nov. 27, 1951 FIRE ESCAPE LIFE REEL Alex F. Gaskins, North A. Gaskins, and Gertrude D. Gaskins, New Bern, N. C.

Application March 3, 1947, Serial No. 731,911

Z Claims.

This invention relates to a re escape, and it is one object of the invention to provide an apparatus by use of which a person trapped in a room of a burning building may safely lower himself to the ground after climbing out of a Window of the building.

Another object of the invention is to provide a iire escape, including a harness adapted to be strapped to the person who is to use the apparatus and a wire cable wound about a spool or drum and having a portion extending from the spool and adapted for connection with an anchor xed to a wall, window sill, or the like, so that the cable will be secured to a support at one end and the spool may be turned to unwind the cable and thus allow the person to lower himself to the ground.

Another object of the invention is to provide the improved i'lre escape with a spool or drum so mounted that the speed at which the spool turns may be controlled by the person using the re escape and the person thus prevented from descending too rapidly and being injured by striking the ground or a pavement upon reaching the bottom of the building.

Another object of the invention. is to provide a lire escape wherein the shaft for the spool has one end threaded through an arm projecting from a plate and near its other end carries an abutment collar for engaging a second arm and causing the arms to be sprung towards each other to compress friction washers which serve very effectively to control rotation of the spool.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire escape wherein the cable passes about a pulley mounted at the upper end of a bar rising from the plate and serving as means for preventing injury to a persons hands by striking or rubbing against the surface of a building as a descent is made from a window of a room.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flre escape of such construction that if so desired a person descending from a window may halt downward movement and then rotate the drum or spool in a direction for winding the cable thereon and causing the person to be drawn upwardly to a position in which he may enter a room below a floor which is on fire and then walk downstairs to the ground floor of the building.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire escape which is simple in construction, ca-

pable of being quickly applied when needed, and of such construction that it may be controlled by the person using the same and a safe descent made from a burning building.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire escape which will occupy a minimum amount of space in a room and at all times be in position for use when needed.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view showing the improved iire escape in use;

Figure 2 is a front View of the drum and the plate carrying arms between which the spool is rotatably mounted;

Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2 on an enlarged scale;

Figure 4 is a sectional view, taken vertically through Figure 3, along the line 4--4 Figure 5 is a sectional view taken horizontally, along the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a view showing the shaft for the spool in elevation;

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional View of a modied embodiment of the invention, the view being taken along the line 'I 'I of Figure 8;

Figure 8 is a sectional View, taken vertically through Figure 7, along the line 8-8g and Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the rewind shaft of Figure 7 shifted to an inoperative position.

This improved re escape is intended for use by persons trapped in a room of a building and unable to escape from the room due to re in a hall from which the room leads. A portion of such a room is shown in Figure l, the wall of the room being indicated by the numeral I and the window sill by the numeral 2. An eye-bolt 3 is mounted in the wall I under the window sill and when the fire escape is installed, the hook II, or equivalent attaching member, at the end oi the cable 5 is connected with the eye-bolt. The cable is formed of twisted steel wire, or the like, and is wound upon a drum or spool 6 between the heads or end disks 1 of the spool. When the spool turns in a direction to unwind the cable from it, a person using the fire escape will be lowered and travel downwardly externally of the building and eventually will come to rest upon the ground or a pavement at the base of the building.

The spool or drum 6 ts between arms 8 and 9 which are carried by and projecting forwardly from a plate I0 and having inwardly thickened portions II. The arms are welded or otherwise rigidly iixed to the plate, but are suiiiciently fieXible to permit them to be sprung towards ends of the spool which have their central portions externally thickened, as shown at I2.

A shaft I3 passes through the spool and through openings I l and I5 formed through outer ends of the arms 8 and 9 centrally of the thickened portions II, the opening I4 having smooth walls and the opening l5 having threaded walls for engagement with the threaded end portion IB of the shaft. The other end portion of the shaft is bent to form a crank handle Il by means of which the shaft is turned and adjacent this handle the shaft carries a collar I8 for engaging the outer side face of the arm 8 and causing the arms to be sprung towards each other as the threaded end portion I6 moved through the threaded opening I5.

An outwardly projecting boss I9 projects from the arm 9 opposite to and concentric with its'inwardly thickened portion and the threaded opening I5 passes entirely through this boss so that the threaded opening is of sufficient length to cause good pulling action to take place when the shaft is turned in a direction to urge the free ends of the arms towards each other. Disks 20 and 2l which are formed of material adapted for frictional gripping engagement with each other are mounted against the thickened portions Il and E2 of the arms and the spool and when the shaft is turned in a direction to move the arms towards each other, the disks will be brought into gripping engagement with each other and rotation of the spool retardedor entirely stopped, according to the amount of pressure applied. Therefore, unwinding of the cable from the spool may be controlled by the person using the fire escape and downward movement from the window be at rapid or slow speed or downward movement may be entirely stopped, if so desired, and the person using the nre escape may then enter a room upon a lower floor ofthe burning building and continue his escape therefrom by walking down a flight of steps.

When the re escape is in use the plate IB is disposed against his body at the front thereof. In order to hold the plate in this position, shown in Figure l, there have been provided straps Z2 and 23', which are secured through slots 2li formed near side edges of the plate. The straps 22 are quite short and carry buckles 25, but the straps 23 are of such length that they may be passed about a persons body and through the buckles, so that when the straps 23 are tightened, they may be secured and the plate l held rmly against the front of the person applying Ythe fire escape to himself. Straps 26 which extend downwardly from the plate have their upper ends secured through-slots 2'I formed near Athe lower edge of the plate adjacent pposite side edges thereof, and these straps have their lower end `portions looped andy secured through buckles 28 to form stirrups 29 through which a persons feet are to be passed, so that the person using the re escape will be supported .in a standing position.

A strip or bar 39 of stiff metal is disposed vertically and secured to the upper portion of the plate I9 by bolts I midway the width of the plate and this bar projects upwardly from the plate and at its upper end is bent to form a forwardly projecting ear 32 carrying a pulley 33 which projects forwardly from the ear and is secured to the same by a bolt or rivet 34. The pulley serves as a guide for the cable and also as an abutment for bearing against the Window sill or outer surface of the wall I of the building and preventing a person scraping his hands against the wall or window sills as he lowers himself downwardly to the ground or side walk in escaping from a room of a burning building. After a person has reached the ground the shaft may be turned to force the arms towards each other and prevent turning of the spool so that another person who Wishes to escape may draw the apparatus upwardly, after a person who has just escaped has released the straps 23 and stepped out of the stirrups 29, and apply the A apparatusto himself following rewinding of the cable upon the spool.

In some cases, it is desirable to allow a person lowering himself towards the ground to rewind the cable upon the spool and thus move upwardly to a position in which he may climb inwardly through Va window which has been passed during downward movement. This is accomplished by forming the. firey escape in the manner shown in Figures '7, 8 and 9. In this embodiment of the invention most of the parts are formed as previously described and these parts are indicated by they same reference numbers. It will be noted, however, that the disk 'l adjacent the arm 9 is formed with a marginal flange having internal teeth and constituting'an internally toothed gear 35. The front end of the arm 9 has an outwardly offset portion and is formed with an extension or auxiliary arm 36 having a portion externally thickened to form a bearing 31, through which a shaft 39 passes.

This shaft is formed with a crank handle 39 Y by means of which it is to be turned and also shifted longitudinally through the bearing, and at its inner end the shaft carries a gear or pinion G9 for meshing with the teeth of the gear 35. Grooves 4I and d2' are formed about the shaft 38 to receive a spring .pressed latch 43 mounted in an opening leading from the front end of the auxiliary arm, and from a comparison of vFigures 7 and 9, it will be seen that when the shaft SS is drawn outwardly the latch will engage in the groove di' and hold the gear lll out of mesh with the gear 35, whereas when the shaft is thrust inwardly the latch will engage in the groove 42 and hold the gear Il@ in mesh with gear 35. Ordinarily, the gear lli] will be out of mesh with the gear 35, but when a person using the fire escape wishes to be moved upwardlythe shaft 38 will be shifted inwardly until the gear lil meshes with gear 35 and the shaft then turned in a direction to turn the spool and wind the cable there- If the person using the nre escape become tired while turning the shaft 33 to wind the cable upon the drum, it is merely necessary to turn the l shaft I3 in a direction to apply grip to the spool and prevent rotation in a direction to unwind the cable while the person is resting. Since the crank handle I'I is grasped with one hand and the crank handle 39 with the other hand, this can be conveniently done.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l.v A fire escape comprising a plate, means for securing said plate against the front of a person, resilient arms extending v forwardly from said plate and spaced from each other transversely of the plate, openings being formed through front end portions of said arms, the opening in one arm being threaded and the other opening unthreaded, a spool between said arms formed with an axially extending bore aligned with the openings in the arms, a shaft passing through the unthreaded opening and the bore of said spool and having a threaded endrportion passing through the threadedy Opening and engaged with the threads thereof, a collar about said shaft engaging the outer side face of the other arm and applying compressing pressure to cause gripping of the spool between the arms when the shaft is turned in a tightening direction, a bar of stiff metal secured to said plate midway the width thereof and extending upwardly from the plate and bent adjacent its upper end to form a forwardly projecting finger, a pulley carried by and extending forwardly from said finger, and a cable wound about said drum extending upwardly therefrom and forwardly about said pulley and carrying a hook at its outer end.

2. A re escape comprising a plate, means for securing said plate against the front of a person. arms extending forwardly from said plate and spaced from each other transversely thereof, a spool rotatably mounted between said arms, means for controlling rotation of said spool, an elongated bar of stiff metal carried by said plate and extending upwardly therefrom midway the width thereof and having a forwardly ALEX F. GASKINS.

NORTH A. GASKINS.

GERTRUDE D. GASKINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 288,447 Keith et al Nov. 13, 1883 484,842 Murphy et al Oct. 11, 1892 580,961 Steimann Apr. 20, 1897 612,673 Reidy et al Oct. 18, 1898 2,450,605 McIntyre Oct. 5, 1948 

